November 2014

Veterans and first time home buyers, Jeramy and Cecilia, had a very Happy Thanksgiving in their new home in Ruby Hill. Jeramy and Cecilia were anxious to buy their first home. They were at a challenging price point at $220k, and there was a lot of competition for many homes we looked at. They did find one they absolutely loved, but it was gone before we could even get our offer submitted.

We did finally find another home and went under contract. They completed their home inspection, radon testing and even purchased a survey. They were all set to close on Halloween, but due to unfortunate circumstances at the end, they were unable to close on the house; it was a very sad and disappointing time. Cecilia in particular couldn’t forget the first home

The holidays are a time of giving but unfortunately, also a time of excess waste. When you think about how your trash can might look after Christmas morning, and consider that all your neighbors looks the same, trying to be more green during the holidays sounds more and more appealing. Here are some quick and easy tips for being more green this holiday season.

1. Shop Local. Less driving, more money back into your community and much less packaging from local stores than big box stores.
2. LED Lights. LED Christmas lights are 90% more efficient than the traditional lights and last twice as long
3. Real Christmas Tree. Studies have shown real trees are more environmentally friendly that fake ones.
4. Recycled and recyclable…

It's that time of year again, and no…we're not talking about the holidays. It's time for all of the major players in the world of decor, fashion and design to tell us what colors are expected to trend as the hottest in 2015. So far, they are sort of all over the board….but we are loving Sherwin Williams' pick: Coral Reef.

Even though this might not be the most obvious of choices, we're spotting it from the red carpet to the runways…and now it's popping up in fun, playful, and tasteful ways in home decor….check out some of these examples from our Pinterest board:

Check out the rest of our Pinterest board here and let us know if you love or hate the idea of using Coral Reef in your home!

Brightnest is a fantastic information source for homeowners, as well as for those who are thinking of buying a home. Check out their maintenance guides, DIY tips, recipes and more!

We were happy to contribute to this recent article published on the Brightnest blog:

Is Living Near a School Really Worth the Increase in Home Value?

Living near a high-scoring school can increase your home’s value by over $200,000, according to the Brookings Institute. That’s not chump change! And while some argue that the correlation between home prices and school systems is not linear – it’s a chicken-or-egg argument – there are plenty of attractive advantages that come with proximity to a school, including increased police protection, personal use of school

Awesome location. Just steps from the cool and eclectic shops on 12th Ave. A few blocks from the Botanic Gardens, Tattered Cover and City Park. Only a 10 min bus ride to downtown. Sorry, no dogs allowed in the building. Cats and rabbits ok!

1265 Elizabeth Street #404, Denver CO 80206.

1 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom, 670 Square Feet.

$155,000.

Listed by Susie Best for Live Urban Real Estate. Please contact Susie for

Thanksgiving is one of the best times of the year for families to get together, enjoy a terrific meal and spend some quality time with each other. But, if you're traveling in Denver next week or just don't feel like channeling your inner gourmet, there are a lot of fine dining spots throughout Denver offering great Thanksgiving meals, and you won’t have to do the dishes. All of these places will fill up fast so make sure to call ahead and get your reservations in early.

TWELVE homes in Wheat Ridge sold this week! Compared to just two new listings, it is more evident than ever how sparse the housing inventory is! The homes that sold quickly were styled nicely, or priced correctly considering the great deal of work that needs to be done to bring these fabulous mid-century ranches up to date.

Also notable were the number of homes that had a price reduction this week...three homes needed to lower their price, and in this hot sellers' market, that means the home wasn't priced quite right to draw an eager buyer. The homes that have had a price reduction, are definitely great homes, but all need some pretty extensive updating depending on the new buyer's tolerance for aging kitchens.

According to Metrolist, many of the housing indicators for October 2014 showed little change month over month. However, prices remained strong. With 8,041 active listings on the market, inventory of available homes showed the slowing that is expected this time of year. In October, the active listings slid 10 percent as compared to last month, and were down 23 percent as compared to this time last year. The number of new listings that came on the market was down eight percent month over month and two percent year over year.

After two consecutive months of decreases, October brought an increase in the average sales price for single family homes. The average sold price in October was $323,750, up one percent from last month and a seven percent increase

If you were hoping to check out this lovely Ballpark home this weekend, you're too late...it's Under Contract already! We asked Live Urban Listing Agents Traci Tooman and Billy Potocnik how they made this one happen so quickly:

Live Urban: Wow! That was fast....how long was this one actually on the market?

Traci and Billy: It went on the MLS Wednesday afternoon and we had multiple offers by Friday night.

Live Urban: Why do you think the property sold so quickly?

Traci and Billy: The offers we received were from buyers who have been looking for a few weeks and knew what they wanted and where they wanted to be. Even the record cold weather didn’t stop showings our first day on the market!